


The Masquerade Murder

by SeaPinecone



Category: Tales from the DreamSMP
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-05
Updated: 2021-02-05
Packaged: 2021-03-17 09:08:00
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 961
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29222955
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SeaPinecone/pseuds/SeaPinecone
Summary: "Sebastian, here." Karl hissed through gritted teeth, beckoning him with a flick of hands so thickly coated in darkness they were barely visible. His eyes strained against the dark, the world a void of ink, only his hands guiding him. Dust made his nose itch. Warmth comforted him, even if the radiators were out.The carpet was soft but matted under his fingers; he shivered slightly, gagging. Disgusting. His hands suddenly bumped against something rectangular and wooden."Get in the cabinet." He whispered, hands fastening clumsily around Sebastian's suit, clinging to him as the other man wrapped himself around Karl like a lost child.
Kudos: 9





	The Masquerade Murder

**Author's Note:**

> !! SPOILERS for the Tales of the SMP Masquerade episode !!  
> cw// alcohol use, death, described murder.

"Sebastian, here." Karl hissed through gritted teeth, beckoning him with a flick of hands so thickly coated in darkness they were barely visible. His eyes strained against the dark, the world a void of ink, only his hands guiding him. Dust made his nose itch. Warmth comforted him, even if the radiators were out.

The carpet was soft but matted under his fingers; he shivered slightly, gagging. _Disgusting_. His hands suddenly bumped against something rectangular and wooden.

"Get in the cabinet." He whispered, hands fastening clumsily around Sebastian's suit, clinging to him as the other man wrapped himself around Karl like a lost child.

With a creak, the door swung open, and his knees hit the wooden floor of the cabinet as he crawled inside, gripping onto his incapable companion to not lose him in the dark.

"Be careful, Karl." Sebastian's voice was quaking and raspy. Karl muttered an agreement and closed the door into the closet. They were plunged into an even deeper darkness.

It was a dark that was cold, smothering, and alerted something instinctual deep within. His body knew the world here was not meant to be this dark. He curled up into a ball, eyes wide open but blind, fingers tightening their grip every second of the growing anticipation that infested his stomach. He felt sick.

White. As white as surgeon's light. As white as the moon during the dead of night. Stark, painful white. Fear ran like a tremor through his body, and he swallowed drily.

The white outline, like chalk around a dead body, was walking far away through the darkness. His hand grabbed onto Sebastian, finding shaking hands that didn't belong to himself.

"I know it can't be you." His voice broke into a whimper. He hung onto the other man's hands.

"As such with you." The voice sniffled in agreement.

It grew bigger. Becoming more distinct every second, the outline grew closer. It entered the room. Karl heard noises. The squeak of a floorboard. Deranged breathing, off rhythm and gasping, as if the murderer had a rib out of place. Feet that stalked around the room so lightly you could barely hear it over the silence. There was a dreadful guzzling noise.

"Stop drinking!" Karl spat. The clink of a bottle and the scent of spiked lemonade was practically tangible in this nothingness of vision. The sticky beverage traces on Sebastian's fingers smeared onto Karl's palms like a slug as he set down the bottle to take Karl's hand. There was a slosh and gulping sound as Sebastian downed the alcohol. Karl bit back tears of frustration and fear. _Shut up_. Turning, the outline spun around. It delicately, purposefully walked over to their cabinet. And paused.

Karl trembled, burying his face into the green paint, hands interlocked with Sebastian's. _The end._.. The thought barely registered before fear swept it away. The door squawked as it was yanked open. He choked on his spit, clamping his free hand over his mouth to stop his whimpers from escaping, and screwed his eyes shut as white radiated into the closet. Empty bottles clattered to the floor, shattering. Lungs sharply intaking air as the person gazed into their impending death. There was a horrible moment where the world hung in stillness. Where dread and fear coiled together tightly in his stomach, slithering in his belly like a snake, making wine and bile lap at his throat. He wanted to throw up.

\------

And then the moment was over.

\------

A banshee scream erupted from a couple feet to his right, bloodcurdling and raw, Sebastian screeching his vocal cords out as a slash of a sword tearing through air and sinking into flesh harmonised with him in a sickening orchestra.

Karl fought back his own whimpers, and cried silently, buried in the corner, eyes still shut. Shaking.

The sound of something heavy splashing onto the floor and the uncontrollable wails of his friend drove themselves into his mind, as Sebastian's hand writhed against his own.

He sobbed silently as a final gurgle was emitted from his companion's throat, a faint twitch of the hand in his before it went still. He trembled in the corner, waiting for death. But the light on his eyelids faded as footsteps left the room.

They hadn't seen him.

He blinked. The room was still pitch black. He shoved the closet door open, tumbling out, hand ripped from Sebastian's. He fell onto a damp, sticky carpet that smelt like blood, alcohol, and lemonade. His nose was pressed against the floor and he retched, sitting up, wiping his face. Tears served to clean it from his face. He took a deep breath in slumping against a wall.

He didn't know how long he had been numbly staring into the darkness for, when the lights started to flicker back, casting hauntingly warm orange light over the room. Lamps sputtered to life once more. The room was bathed in an orange hue, the bed with faded pink bedsheets and teddy bear markings visible now. Karl choked. It was as if this room was meant for a child. _It probably was_ , he realised. The bloodstains on the carpet dyed crimson, the traces of lemonade glittering in the lamplight. His eyes adjusted to the light with a few blinks.

His gaze trailed from the carpet to the cabinet. It was painted warmer lime in the light, and a few smears of blood were left on the bottom. There a noticeable, untouched corner where had had been sat, right at the back. And... no body. He gazed around.

  
"S-Sebastian?" He whispered. But Sebastian wasn't there. Faint white words glimmered from behind the back of the closet - Sebastian's name. Karl swallowed drily, staggering to his feet. He needed to find the others.

**Author's Note:**

> Even I was a little queasy writing this lmao  
> Kudos and Comments are appreciated so much! Helps keep me motivated!


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